About Us

The Humane Society of the Black Hills (HSBH) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has worked with the community to provide shelter and care for lost and abused animals for nearly 50 years. The HSBH currently operates the only major animal shelter west of the Missouri River in South Dakota.

Each year, we rescue over 4,800 animals. Because of the shortage of shelters, animals are picked up and brought to our shelter from as many as 20 different counties. We are also an open admissions shelter – We will not turn away any animal, and we do not put a time limit on an animal’s stay at our facility.

We are not affiliated with any other humane societies and rely on public funding and donations from our community to help us keep our doors open. Donations to national groups do not reach the pets that stay with us – If you want to support your local animals and families who need it most, please click here for more details.

The HSBH also provides animal welfare services and humane law enforcement to Rapid City and Pennington County governments as an independent contractor. Our Animal Services and Enforcement officers uphold Rapid City codes, Pennington County ordinances, and the State of South Dakota laws pertaining to domestic animals.